Review: Family for Beginners by Sarah Morgan

Family for Beginners by Sarah Morgan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Published: May 2020
 

Flora lost her mother when she was just 8 years old and she has felt lonely almost just as long. When she meets Jack, the connection is immediate. Jack is a widow and is raising his two daughters. Jack's oldest daughter, Izzy, has taken on a huge role since the death of her mother. Now, a year later, Flora comes into their lives. Will they be able to build a relationship or will Flora have to go back to loneliness.

Thank you to Harlequin and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This book was a cute emotional story about love and loss. I could empathize with Izzy. When my father got remarried, it was a difficult transition. Fortunately, I still had my mother, so I didn't have to take on that role, but I didn't want anyone to disrupt what had already been disrupted in our family.

Overall, I enjoyed this story. There were parts of it that dragged along which made me bring my rating down some. IF you like family stories, or stories about love after loss or divorce, you will enjoy this book.



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Review: Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Published: August 2018
 

Kya has lived in the marsh her entire life. Slowly her family members leave until she is the only one left. Most of the townspeople won't have anything to do with her. Although there are a few who treat her well and look out for her. When one man who is considered a local hero is found dead, everyone blames, "The Marsh Girl", but did she really do it?

This was the April selection for our book club. I have seen this book all over my social media for a while now, but it wasn't really on my radar to read. This book had me hooked from the beginning and I was really routing for Kya from the start. She didn't have anything, but she made the most of it. She didn't allow the haters to get her down.

By the end of the book, I was in tears, and I think if you read this book you will be too. You have no choice, but to feel for Kya and her situation.

I highly recommend this book.

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Review: Seven Letters by JP Monninger

Seven Letters by J.P. Monninger
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Published: Oct. 2019
 

Kate Moreton is a professor at Darthmouth. She is writing about her Irish heritage as a part of her doctoral dissertation and decides to take the semester and spend it in Ireland to do the research she needs to do on the Blasket Islands and the people who used to live there. What she isn't expecting is to fall in love with the place as well as a certain American who also lives there, Ozzie Ferriter. Their romance is fast paced. Will their love be able to last over the oceans or will one of them make a sacrifice for them to be together.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This was definitely a slow read for me. Overall the story was very bland. Girl does work in Ireland, girl meets boy, boy is mysterious, boy and girl fall in love, what happens next ... The whole story is very slow paced even though it covers a few years. I didn't find myself investing in the characters or the story as a whole. I have read one other book by JP Monninger, a  Map That Leads to You, and that one was a bit more interesting.

What would you do if you met a man who seemed perfect for you, but he lived a world away. Would you give up the life you've known to be with him or would you find a way for you all to be together? That is the dilemma Kate faces when she meets Ozzie. Will she stay in her native land or return to her home? Is Ozzie really the man that she thinks he is or is his past holding him back from being the man he could be? Can you change someone to be the person you want them to be or do you have to accept them for who they are? All of these are questions that will be answered in the book.



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Review: Solo by Kwame Alexander

Solo by Kwame Alexander
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Blade Morrison has reached a pivotal point in his life. He's graduating from high school, about to turn eighteen and has his whole life in front of him But with a famous father who is always in the media and a girlfriend whose parents can't stand you, it's hard to find your place. When Blade discovers something about his past, it will change his future forever. Set on two continents, inspired by rock and roll, and written in poetic verse Solo is one of the best books I have read this year.

Thank you to Kwame Alexander, Mary Rand Hess, and Blink YA for the opportunity to read and review this book and be a part of the Solo Launch Team.

This is the first book I have read by Kwame Alexander or Mary Rand Hess and I have already picked up another at the library. This book was built on a love of music. Every character has a connection to music in some way shape or form.

Blade is yourtypical teenage boy, but for the fact that he has a famous father, Rutherford Morrison who is a rock and roll star who has fallen from grace. Often in the media because of an incident involving drugs or alcohol, Blade is tired of being there to pick up pieces that eventually fall apart again. After the loss of his mother Sunny, the family was never the same. When Blade discovers something about his past and given a letter his mother wrote to him for his 18th birthday, he sets out on a quest to find out where he really belongs.

Full of love, loss, addiction and music, Solo, although written for the YA crowd is a book people of all ages can enjoy.



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Review: The Mothers by Brit Bennett

The Mothers by Brit Bennett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Nadia Turner, Aubrey Evans, and Luke Sheppard are young adults living in Oceanside, CA. They are each going through their lives trying to overcome their individual struggles. One summer they are all joined together by unforeseen events and these events will help to mold them into the people they will be for the rest of their lives.

We all have people in our lives who know everything think that is going on in our lives or think they do whether we want them to or not. In this book, a few ladies at Upper Room Church fill this spot. They narrate the scene for most of the chapters in this book and give their honest opinion on how the story will unfold. They have known these young people most of their lives and have been in their position many years before.

I have been looking forward to reading this book or a long time. I will say that even though I read this book rather quickly it wasn't quite what I was expecting. I would have liked to seen more of a voice from "The Mothers". Other than that, this was an enjoyable read for me.

Nadia, Aubrey and Luke are all around the same age and live in Oceanside. Luke and Nadia date briefly the summer before she leaves for college. Then Luke suddenly cuts her out of his life like a bad habit. She takes a job working as the First Lady's assistant at Upper Room. There she meets Aubrey. Aubrey is quiet and shy, but is instantly drawn to Nadia. Both of them having lost their mothers, although in very different ways, have a connection that no one would have seen. The story follows the trio as they move through life and deal with their pasts in order to move forward with their futures.

This was a very good debut novel and I look forward to more books by Brit Bennett.

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